With the `2016` facelift, the `S3 8V` became for many buyers the sweet spot of the generation: sharper styling, revised instruments, `310 hp` and a more mature overall feel. Against a compact BMW 3 Series, it remains highly effective and easy to live with all year round. On the used market it is a very relevant choice, but only if the upkeep has genuinely kept pace.
The core of the story revolves around the `2.0 TFSI` `EA888` `CJXG` and `DJHA`, the `S tronic` gearbox and `Haldex`-type all-wheel drive. Everything shows up in engine and gearbox service history, the high-pressure fuel pump, thermal behaviour, turbo health, the consistency of all four tyres and the smoothness of each upshift. Cars that were remapped or simply normalised by overlong service intervals quickly become more expensive than they look.